Hose-bridge



v (No Model.)

. 2 Sheets-Sheet 1. v F. KRUGK'E-BERG,

Ho'sn BRIDGE.

Patented Sept. 6, 1893.

(No M01151.) 2 Sheets-'Sheet 2. F. K-RUGKE BE-RG; HOSE BRIDGE N0.504,530. Patnted Sept. 5, 1893! Fly. 6.

Jay. f

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFicE.

FREDERICK KRUOKEBERG, OF MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA.

HOSE-BRIDGE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 504,530, datedSeptember 5, 1893.

Application filed May 15, 1893- To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, FREDERICK KRUOKE- BERG, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Minneapolis, in the county of Hennepin and State ofMinnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inHose-Bridges; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear,and exact description of the invention, such as will enable othersskilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention has for its object to provide a convenient and reliablehose-bridge or crossing, for use on street and other railways. .It iswell-known that, in times of fire, adjacent to the tracks of street andother railways, the movement of the cars is frequently intercepted, forconsiderable periods, on account of the water-hose lying across thetracks. This is a great inconvenience, an impediment to business, andinvolves a considerable loss in time and money.

My invention is designed to remove this class of obstructions to railwaytraffic, which I accomplish by supplying a device which may be readilyattached to the ordinary track and will serve to lift or permit thepassage of the cars over the water hose, without injury thereto.

To these ends, my invention consists of the novel devices andcombinations of devices, which will be hereinafter fully described andbe defined in the claims.

The accompanying drawings illustrate my invention.

Like letters refer to like parts, throughout.

Figure l is a plan View of my hose-bridge or crossing, in workingposition, shown as applied to a street railway track. Fig. 2 is asection of the same, on the line X X of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a crosssection on the line-X X of Fig.1. Fig. 4 is a cross section, on the lineX X of Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a cross section, on the line X X of Fig. 1. Inall the said sectional views, Figs. 3, 4 and 5, the observer is supposedto be looking toward the right. In Fig. 2, the observer is supposed tobe looking outward. Fig. 6 is aview, partly in diagram, representing inside elevation a car as passing over a section of track equipped with myhose bridge or crossing.

A represents the ties; B the rails of an or- Serial no 474,175. (Nomodel.)

surfaces of the track-rails B. Hence, when in position, one stepof thebridge-rails will rest on the ball or bearing surface of the track-rail,and the other step of the bridgerail will rest on the flange of thetrack-rail, and against the inner face of the ball portlon of thetrack-rail. In other words, the bridge railsD are so formed that theywill rest on the top of the track-rails, and are provided withdownwardly extending portions, for working against the inner faces ofthe track-rails, to permit the bridge-rails to be locked in position, bysuitable braces E E. Of these braces, the members E are end braces andare formed with wedge-shaped ends, co-operating wlth flangedwedge-shaped blocks F, formed integral with the bridge-rails D, to lockthe ends of the bridge-rails against the track-rails,

when the said braces E are driven into position horizontally. The otherbraces E are center braces and have also wedge-shaped ends, formed withdove-tailed flanges, which cooperate with corresponding wedge-shapedvertical blocks F, formed integral with the bridge-rails, to lock thesaid bridge-rails together at their central points, and to thetrack-rails, when the said braces E are driven downward into position.From the construction described, it is obvious, that when the saidbraces E and E are driven into position, the bridge-rails D, will besecurely locked to the track-rails and be held from either outward orinward lateral movement. When the bridge-rails are being placed inposition, the hose are brought to the proper locations, to permit thesame to be straddled by the columns or spaced foot-pieces cl of thebridgerails. The central portions of the bridgerails rise to asufficient height, of course, to permit the wheel-flanges of the car G,to clear the largest sized hole, which may be ever brought into use.Care must be taken, of course, to construct the points or inclinedportions of the bridge-rails on the proper angles, to permit the car torise from the track-rails B, without interference from the pilot orother pro ecting parts carried on the car-truck, in advance of thewheels. The braces E E would of course be made of metal and thebridge-rails D be also made of metal and of the requisite strength forthe work to which they are to be sub ected. By observing theseconditions, a brldge such as I have described, will answer not only forstreet-cars, but also for locomotives and steam cars. After the bridgehas been used, it may, as is obvious, be readily knocked down andremoved to any desired point of storage.

By actual usage, I have demonstrated the efiiciency of my hose-bridge orcrossing, for the purpose set forth. I have found by actual test, thatsuch a hose bridge will support and transfer the heaviest class ofdouble truck street-cars, without the slightest difficulty ing portionsof the bridge rails, would simply be correspondingly changed, so as tointerlock with the track-rails.

What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the UnitedStates, is as follows:

1. The combination with the pair of hose bridgerails, having their undersurfaces formed to interlock with the track-rails, and provided withlateral wedge-blocks of the cross braces having wedge shaped endsco-operating with said wedgeblocks, to lock the bridge-rails to thetrack-rails, substantially as described.

2. The combination with the track-rails, of the bridge railsinterlocking therewith; and having the horizontal wedge blocks F and thevertical wedge blocks F with dove tailed grooves of the end cross bracesE with wedge shaped ends working against the blocks F and the centralbraces E with dove tailed and wedge shaped ends working in and againstsaid grooved blocks F, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

FREDERICK KRUCKEBERG.

Witnesses:

J AS. IF. WILLIAMSON, EMMA F. ELMORE.

